Harry Potter and the Auror's Dream
by PD31
Summary: The Wizarding War is over; now Harry and his friends return to school for their final year. Evil may have been tamed but there are still plenty of challenges that they will have to overcome in life and love before they finish the year.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hello dear reader and welcome to my latest story. This is the first time I've attempted a Harry Potter fic so we'll see how it goes. I hope you all enjoy it. It begins in the summer after the defeat of Voldemort.**

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Harry awoke with a tired groan. He reached out and seized his glasses, pushing them up his nose before looking around his bedroom to see what had drawn him from his slumbers. His green eyes finally fell on the handsome screech owl tapping on the window of his bedroom at Number 12, Grimauld Place, London. The 18-year-old sighed before struggling out of bed and over to the window to let the bird in. It landed on the dressing table and held out its leg, allowing him to remove the letter that had been tied to it. Feeling a lump on the back of the envelope Harry turned it over, seeing from the corner of his eye that the bird took off now it had been relieved of its load.

_Of course_, Harry thought as he eyed the wax seal, _Now it's all over I still have my final year of school to attend_. He smiled as he realised that he, Ron and Hermione would be in the same year as Ginny and assumed that they would all be receiving letters as well. He broke the seal and withdrew the parchment from the envelope, sitting back on his bed as he unfolded it and began to read.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_Please find enclosed your compulsory book list for your seventh year at Hogwarts._

_The Hogwarts Express will leave, as usual, from King's Cross Platform 9¾ at 11 a.m. on September 1__st__._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva M. McGonagall_

_Headmistress_

Harry drew out the second piece of parchment and scanned the booklist. As always there was the latest grade of _The Standard Book of Spells_ and he was intrigued by _Advanced Counter-curses_ which he assumed would be for Defence Against the Dark Arts. He did note that there was no new book for Potions, though he wryly noted that he would need a new book anyway, after he had hidden the Half-Blood Prince's book in the Room of Requirement and it had, he assumed, subsequently been destroyed in the Fiendfyre inferno a few months ago.

Harry was drawn from his musings by a polite knock on the door; he opened it to reveal his house-elf, Kreacher, stood in the doorway.

"Kreacher is sorry to disturb master," the elf began with a bow, "but master has a friend wishing to speak to him. Master's friend is waiting in the fire in the kitchen."

"Lead the way," the teenager told his elf and followed him down to the kitchen of the grand house. He ran his left hand quickly through his ever-untidy black hair and turned to the fireplace, briefly wondering that the fire was lit in early August.

"Finally! I thought you'd never get up," Ron Weasley, Harry's best friend, greeted him jovially. The dark-haired boy rolled his eyes but smiled at the newcomer.

"I forgot today was the day our letters were arriving" he admitted.

"Well if you were staying with us…" Ron began, his voice losing its light note and developing a slight edge. Harry cut him off.

"Don't Ron. You _know_ why I haven't stayed at The Burrow this summer" he sighed.

The group had gone their separate ways over the summer; the Weasleys had gone to their home just outside Ottery St. Catchpole while Harry had declined their invite, deciding instead to finish the task of making his London home habitable. He had, though, visited for a couple of days here and there over the holidays. He had not heard from his other best friend, Hermione Granger, since they parted company after celebrating the end of the Wizarding War; she had apparated to Australia to find her parents and attempt to remove the memory charm she had put on them, robbing them of memories of their past life, including her.

"Is Hermione with you?" he asked Ron.

"No," he said sadly, "she found her parents easily enough and lifted the charm but when they realised where they were – and that they were still practicing dentistry out in Australia – they decided to stay and live the lives of Wendell and Monica Wilkins instead of coming back to England. So she stayed with them instead; she's been sightseeing out there all summer but I assume she got her Hogwarts letter and she'll be back soon." Then he sniggered slightly. "Hermione will never miss anything to do with school."

The red-haired boy turned his head away from Harry for a moment before facing him again.

"Mum says breakfast is ready. When are you heading to Diagon Alley?"

"Probably today now I have my list."

"Oh, us too! Meet you at 10 in Flourish and Blotts?"

"Sure."

Ron disappeared and Harry began mentally planning what he needed to do in the wizarding street while Kreacher bustled around preparing breakfast. He scanned his booklist again and thought about picking up an additional book on Auror training in preparation (he hoped) for next year. _I also need an owl_ he mused sombrely, bowing his head as he felt pain again at the loss of Hedwig. _Just over a year ago now_ he thought sadly.

"Thanks Kreacher" he commented idly as the elf set his breakfast before him. He began eating his bacon and eggs as he eyed the cereal, tea and toast that were waiting for him.

"Kreacher?" he asked thoughtfully.

"Yes master?"

"What will you do when I go to school? I don't want you to be here alone for months."

"Kreacher could come with master" the elf suggested. "Kreacher could work in the kitchens then go home with master for the holidays."

"That sounds great. Maybe you could come back here now and again as well to make sure everything is alright?"

"Kreacher would be delighted" and he retreated with a bow.

As Harry was finishing his breakfast he heard a knock on the door. He opened it and smiled widely as it revealed Hermione Granger stood in front of him. He eagerly pulled the girl into a hug.

"Harry, you're not dressed yet!" she commented lightly as they separated.

Harry rolled his eyes and laughed. "It's great to see you too" he told her.

The pair spent a few minutes in the kitchen, being plied with tea by Kreacher, while Hermione told the stories of her travels around Australia. One thought struck Harry, though, so he asked the bushy-haired girl.

"Why did you come here Hermione? Why not go and see Ron?" he asked curiously.

"Oh well, I was in London anyway – I had to go to my parents' old place to sort out a few more of their things – so I thought I'd call in on you. You're not upset about it are you?" Harry could detect the evasiveness in her voice along with her slightly challenging retort.

"Not at all. Anyway I'm meeting Ron and the other Weasley's in Diagon Alley today at 10. Want to come?"

"Yes, I need my books. And _you _need to get dressed" she teased gently.

Harry donned a T-shirt and jeans for the outing; he and Hermione travelled by floo powder to the Leaky Caldron pub where they were greeted by Tom, the landlord. Walking into the bar area they received a standing ovation from the patrons and, looking at one another, responded with an embarrassed wave before walking out of the back of the pub into the alleyway so they could enter the magical street beyond.

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**Liked it? Hated it? Want me to stop it here and now? Don't be shy about letting me know. Hopefully see you all soon for the next chapter. PD31.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hello again and welcome back to this story. I would like to thank the small, hardy group of you who read the opening chapter and in particular thank "Guest" and Agent-M for their reviews. As requested by both of you, here is the update.**

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"Quarter to ten," commented Harry, glancing at the clock that adorned Gringotts Bank at the end of Diagon Alley. As if seeing the imposing structure had acted as a reminder he added "I need to go to Gringotts first."

"Me too," Hermione agreed and the two made their way down the streets, waving to and acknowledging well-wishers and shaking far too many hands. Harry ground to a halt as they passed Weasley's Wizard Wheezes; the shop was closed and in darkness, though he could see boxes of tricks sat unopened around the place as he peered through the window. He felt Hermione press herself against him as she joined him.

"Ron said George has lost all motivation since… the battle," she whispered.

Harry closed his eyes and bowed his head as he remembered Fred. The pair continued in silence along the street, nodding to the goblins on the door as they entered the wizarding bank.

Hermione stepped up to the counter and drew her purse from her beaded bag; she opened it and withdrew a handful of notes, sliding them across the counter to the teller. The goblin inspected her money before nodding and handing her the equivalent in gold galleons, silver sickles and bronze knuts. She deposited these in her purse, which returned to the magic bag and she made her way to Harry's side; he had just handed his vault key to another goblin and was preparing to make his way underground.

"At least you are here legally this time," the goblin remarked stiffly as it eyed the pair. They looked to one another and grinned guiltily at the memory of their audacious heist from the Lestrange vault some months earlier and followed the creature to the cart.

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"Hermione," Harry began as they left the bank; the time was a little after ten o'clock. The girl looked as him as he continued, "Is everything alright between you and Ron?"

"Yes," she snapped defensively, "Why wouldn't it be?"

"Just asking," he remarked airily before dropping the subject. They lapsed back into a comfortable silence as they walked to Flourish and Blott's. Harry smiled as they entered and he saw the flame-haired Weasley family amid the books.

"Harry!" Ginny cried joyfully and flung herself on him; he returned the hug and kissed her cheek tenderly.

Molly Weasley curtailed any further reunion of the pair by hauling him into a hug of her own before he shook hands with Percy and George before giving Ron a quick, one-armed hug. The other Weasleys, meanwhile, were greeting Hermione equally exuberantly. Ron then pulled Hermione into a hug; she returned it with a degree of reluctance that Harry caught, though Ron was oblivious to it.

"I was sad to see your shop closed, George," he told the surviving twin sombrely; Percy surprised him by speaking up.

"We're reopening tomorrow; since I quit the ministry… over the summer," he added awkwardly, thinking back to how he presented his resignation to Voldemort's puppet minister Pius Thicknees, "I'm going to be working there."

It wasn't just Harry who was surprised; George and the other Weasleys looked amazed at the older brother's declaration.

"Wow, that doesn't sound like your sort of work Perce," George noted, "Not that I don't appreciate the offer!" he added hurriedly.

"I'm the responsible brother, remember?" the former Hogwarts Head Boy grinned; he seemed far more relaxed than usual. "And I have a responsibility to my family. You need my help so here I am."

"Thanks Perce," George said sincerely as Molly hugged the newest member of the family business.

The Hogwarts students then remembered that they needed to get their books for the year ahead so they made their way briskly around the shop picking up the items on their list. After paying and leaving the bookstore Harry found himself stood outside Eeylop's Owl Emporium. He put his hand hesitantly on the door handle.

"I'll hold on to your books for you" Molly said kindly and took them from him; he smiled gratefully at her.

"Do you want some company?" Hermione asked him as he looked through the window of the shop, a melancholic look adorned his face. _I'm choosing Hedwig's replacement_ kept running through the boy's head. Ginny frowned behind Hermione's back while Ron eyed her with a guarded expression.

"Thanks" Harry smiled and the pair entered the shop; a still-scowling Ginny was just a step behind them.

The black-haired boy looked at the various birds around the shop; he politely waved away the assistant's offer of help while he looked. His eyes were drawn at first to a beautiful Snowy Owl eyeing him with interest but he looked away and shook his head sadly. "Too much like Hedwig" he muttered; Hermione nodded sympathetically. Instead he found his gaze drawn to a Screech Owl; it held his stare impressively and he smiled and nodded his head.

"I'll take that one," he told the shopkeeper.

Harry and the two girls left the shop to re-join Ron and the others; Harry's new owl was now asleep in its cage. In need of new robes the quartet visited Madam Malkins' next and were measured up for robes for their final year. Harry also bought himself some new dress robes, feeling that he may need something a little more formal for some occasions. Now that he seemed to have stopped growing, he hoped that they would last him a while.

Their next stop was the apocathery to replenish their stocks of ingredients for potions. They finished off their shopping (including a stop for a Fortescue ice cream each) before returning to the Leaky Cauldron.

"Will you be joining us?" Molly asked Harry and Hermione hopefully.

"No," he declined politely, "I still have work to do getting my house into a fit state." Seeing her disappointed look he offered, "Maybe I could come over for lunch on Sunday?"

Mrs Weasley brightened immediately. "Yes, of course, that would be fantastic" she told him. "How about you Hermione?" she enquired, turning to the bushy-haired girl.

"I'm sorry," she began, a response that caused Ron's face to fall, "I have to finish off cleaning up my parents' house in London. Perhaps I could come on Sunday too though."

"That would be nice," Molly's tone had stiffened a little though. "Well, goodbye" she said to the pair and entered the pub's fire to travel back to The Burrow; her sons followed her.

"See you on Sunday," Ron said as he left, waving at them both.

"See you soon Harry," Ginny told him, making sure to pull him into her embrace and kiss his cheek again. She threw him a long glance as she edged into the fire.

"Well, I guess we need to go," Harry commented. "After you" he gestured to the fire.

"Actually, I'll need to go back with you so I can apparate home from there" Hermione told him.

"Ok, no problem. Still, ladies first" he smiled. She returned it.

"Number twelve, Grimauld Place" she declared as she entered the fire, disappearing from the pub. Harry repeated her words and soon found himself being helped out of the fire by Kreacher.

"Welcome back master," the elf bowed. "Mistress" he directed towards Hermione, albeit still a little reluctant to refer to a Muggle-born in such a way.

"Hello Kreacher," she greeted him brightly. "How are you?"

"Kreacher is very well, thank you. Will mistress be staying for dinner?"

"Oh," she paused, looking at Harry.

"You're more than welcome to," he offered.

"Well in that case, I'd love to, thank you" she said with a smile.

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**I hope you all enjoyed this update. One way or the other, please don't be shy about letting me know. PD31.**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hello my friends and welcome to the latest instalment of this little story. I would like to start by thanking those of you who read, and especially those who reviewed the last chapter.**

**Agent-M – nope, it's not just you… there's a certain vibe that the Weasley women don't like.**

**Rbl108 – I hope you like how it does go.**

**PsychoNinjaWolf – that much hadn't **_**really**_** occurred to me; it was more a case of, despite her blood-status, Hermione has earned his respect so he refers to her in that way (rather than any insinuation of her and Harry being a couple – at this point anyway, who knows what the future may bring?)**

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The summer moved swiftly inside Number twelve, Grimmauld Place. Harry would have loved to have enjoyed more of the long, hot days but that proved impossible given the still-daunting task of getting the house into a truly liveable condition. By the end of August, however, Harry felt he had succeeded, thanks in no small part to Hermione, who had been a frequent visitor to his home up until the last fortnight, unlike the Weasleys, none of whom had visited. He has been to the Burrow on a couple of occasions for Sunday lunch, and they had been pleased to see him, but none of them had come to see him, a point not lost on the black-haired teenager. Apart from the occasions that he had visited the Weasleys, Hermione had not seen them either; privately Ron, Ginny and Molly were all wondering about the significance of that fact.

Harry awoke with the sun streaming through his window on the morning of September 1st; Kreacher fixed his breakfast as he arrived in the house's kitchen before the elf apparated to Hogwarts to begin his work in the kitchens. As he finished his breakfast he was surprised to see a car pull up _outside _the house (normally muggle cars would miss out his home completely, moving from the neighbours on one side to the other). He pulled the curtains to one side and peered suspiciously at the vehicle before smiling as Hermione emerged from it. He chuckled to himself as he noted that she was already dressed in her Hogwarts robes. He released the curtain and got to the front door just as the girl knocked.

"Are you ready?" she asked him.

"Yes, just about," he answered.

"You mean you still need to pack?" she shot slyly.

"No," he insisted, "everything is just about ready. I'll just bring it down. There's tea in the kitchen if you want some, I'll be five minutes."

True to his word, the boy was loading his trunk and belongings into the boot of Hermione's car five minutes later. They listened to the radio as she navigated her way across London and parked close to King's Cross Station. At that point a flaw in the plan occurred to Harry.

"Hermione, what's happening to the car now?"

"My parents came back a couple of weeks ago," she explained, "which is why I haven't been over as much, I wanted to spend time with them while I could." She was beginning to choke up slightly as she spoke. "They're finalising all their affairs here, they've agreed a price to sell the house and in a couple of days they go back to Australia for good. Mum will get the tube here; she'll meet us just before eleven, then she'll drive back home," she finished weakly, there was obvious sadness in her eyes as she realised this would be the last time she could call it "home". The tears started to flow as the bushy-haired girl lost control; Harry pulled her into a consoling, comforting hug.

"Don't cry, Hermione," he whispered. "It's not like you have to _fly_ over there to see them. You can be there in seconds."

She laughed weakly. "I know, but that house is the only home I've ever had – apart from Hogwarts. It's hard to think I'll never call it home again."

Harry looked at the clock and noted the time.

"Ten forty-five," he said, "We need to find your mum."

"Oh there she is," Hermione waved at the lady approaching the pair. The Granger mother and daughter shared a few quick words as Harry stood awkwardly to one side. Mrs Granger pulled Hermione into a hug and kissed her, she then surprised Harry by pulling _him_ into a hug and whispering "take care of my daughter" to him. She took the car keys from Hermione and they parted company.

The teenagers headed briskly for Platform 9 ¾; on arrival they saw that the Weasleys were already there and Ron and Ginny had already boarded the train.

Harry shared a few quick words with Molly and Arthur (George and Percy were busy at work) before he and Hermione, who had a very brief and terse greeting with Molly, joined the other students on the train. They made their way down until they found the Weasley siblings sat alone in a compartment; Ron waved them in and they sat down, Harry next to Ginny and Hermione next to Ron.

"I can't believe we're going back," Ron began. "Apart from… y'know, _that night_, we haven't been there in a long time."

"Yes, it's going to be strange, especially being the oldest ones in the class," he smiled at Ginny as he said this; the youngest Weasley felt a little uncomfortable at the thought that, for the next few hours at least, _she_ and not they was the odd one out.

On the dot of eleven o'clock the train pulled out of the station to begin its long journey north to Hogsmeade Station.

"I hope this is quieter trip than we've been used to," Harry began as London disappeared to be replaced by miles of countryside, "at least Malfoy and the others have all gone so there'll be fewer people trying to cause trouble for us."

"Very true," Hermione agreed before poking into her beaded bag and summoning a book.

"Same old Hermione," joked Ron, who was rewarded with a scowl from the girl.

"We missed you over the summer Harry," Ginny spoke up, "We didn't see as much of you as I thought we would". "And hoped," she mouthed to herself.

"The floo network runs both ways," he commented, "You were welcome to visit me at any time and help me sort the house out."

With no answer to that, Ginny followed Hermione's lead and buried her nose in _The Quibbler_. Her action earned Harry an annoyed look from Ron, one that he ignored pointedly.

Harry was to get his wish; the journey to Hogsmeade passed without incident. The witch with the snack trolley came round; Harry provided treats for his friends and himself, having first tucked into the excellent lunch Kreacher had packed for him to take. Hermione and Ron, as prefects, had to patrol the train at certain points throughout the journey; Ron disliked this as it meant changing into his robes earlier than intended. Harry and Ginny traded their muggle clothing for their robes as the skies darkened outside, the flame-haired girl dashed to the toilets to do so and, as the train ground to a halt, the quartet unloaded their luggage and made their way to the doors. Hermione and Ron joined their fellow prefects in manning the doors and allowing the other children off the train. Harry greeted Hagrid with a wave and a smile; the half-giant returned it but had no time to talk as he had to guide the first-years to the boats for their journey. Harry and Ginny followed the crowds to the coached; the untidy-haired boy grimly pondered just how many of his peers could now see the Thestrals towing them after the events of last Spring.

The former couple shared a carriage and soon arrived at the school gates and disembarked; Harry was thankful for the trip's brevity as an uncomfortable silence, and a hint of frostiness on Ginny's part, had existed between them. The boy knew that they would need to talk sooner or later; what they were going to say to one another was something he had yet to figure out.

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**AN: So the gang are back at school and Harry is anticipating a showdown with his ex-; if you like what you've read so far (or really, really hate it – or just somewhere in between) please fill in the little box underneath here and let me know.**

**I hope to see you all again next week. PD**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hello everyone and welcome to another chapter of this story; I hope you are all well. My thanks to those of you who read and reviewed last time.**

**Bagel-chan – I'm glad you like it. Hermione is, I think, in a position of realising that she no longer has a home; her parents are abroad and her childhood home is being sold. I think she's upset and turning to someone who can relate to not having family around.**

**Agent-M – yes, plenty of tension and his disappointment at a lack of effort from Ron et al. Whether the tension increases or dissipates remains to be seen.**

**Ruinus – I think you need friendship before you can even think about exploring the possibility of anything else. We know they're very close friends, so it's a good start.**

**PsychoNinjaWolf – it was short; I'll try to do some longer ones later on but instead I got this one out earlier than usual. How's that?**

**Ok, let's get on with it!**

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"Potter! Granger!" Professor McGonagall called as Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny walked together towards the Great Hall. They turned in response to the Headmistress's call and the two dark-haired teenagers took a step towards her. "Come with me," she instructed before turning and walking away. They waved at the Weasleys and followed her into an empty classroom.

"Now, normally this would have been dealt with earlier," she began, "but, given… what happened last Spring," she continued delicately, "we teachers didn't have the time to discuss it and organise things before the letters went out, what with having to get the castle back into shape for the new school year. Anyway, we'll be announcing it officially after the sorting but you two are our new Head Boy and Girl for this year." Harry and Hermione looked to one another with expressions of surprise and delight. "I'll be calling you forward to receive your badges when we make the announcement," she concluded with a smile.

"This could be a new tradition," Harry noted returning her smile with one of his own.

"Maybe," the Headmistress commented.

"Professor," Hermione began thoughtfully, "will you still be teaching Transfiguration now that you're Headmistress?"

"No, Granger, I won't be," she conceded with more than a little regret, "That's _another_ announcement we'll be making this evening."

"Along with _another_ Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Harry asked with all the innocence he could muster.

"Yes Potter," Professor McGonagall sighed, "why? Do _you_ want the job?" The corners of her mouth twitched slightly.

"Given what has happened to them all, I think I'll stay on the other side of the desk if you don't mind, Professor." They shared a smile. "Are you still Head of Gryffindor house or did you have to give _that_ up too?" he asked as the thought suddenly occurred to him.

"No, the new Head of your house will be announced too," she admitted. "Now, we all need to get to the Great Hall. After you." She gestured to the door and followed the pair through it; they led the way to the Great Hall in silence.

The Headmistress left them to go to the staff table; they walked towards their House table.

"It's going to be an interesting year," Harry commented idly. Hermione nodded her agreement.

Scanning the table they saw that there was no space near where Ron and Ginny had positioned themselves; they were sat with some of Ginny's friends from her (and now their) year group. Ron cast a surly eye at the pair as some of the younger Gryffindors eagerly moved up to allow the celebrity pair to sit down. Harry looked towards the Weasleys and Ginny waved sadly in his direction; he returned the wave and glanced to Ron, who forced his face into an even expression before turning quickly to talk to his neighbours.

The older students sat through the sorting; they listened as the Sorting Hat talked of the proud traditions of the respective Houses and there was a general air of relief that it had stopped its dire warnings of what was to come. The new Gryffindors were all eager to sit as close to them as they could and the new Head Boy and Girl made an attempt to remember all the names as the first years approached them and shook their hands. When Harry chanced a look towards Ron he saw the ginger boy's jealous expression that so many had ignored him and headed straight for Harry.

"I feel like a bit of an afterthought," Hermione admitted to him in a whisper. He patted her hand and smiled at her; Ron's jealousy flared another notch and Ginny was starting to look rather upset too.

The attention of the student body was drawn to the front of the room as Professor McGonagall stood.

"New students, welcome to Hogwarts. Returning students, welcome back. In particular, welcome back to three of our Seventh Year Gryffindors. They need no introduction to you but I will do anyway; Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley."

Her speech was interrupted by tumultuous applause from three of the four tables; even the Slytherin table, particularly the new Slytherins, provided a smattering of applause for the trio.

"I would now like to call Mr Potter and Miss Granger to the front," she continued once the noise level had died down; the pair stood and walked to the front where they were officially unveiled as the school's new Head Boy and Girl and handed their badges to more huge applause from the students. Harry was also surprised when two familiar figures dashed up to him from behind the staff table; Doris Crockford and Daedalus Diggle. He didn't have time to speak to them before Professor McGonagall shooed them away. Back at the Gryffindor table Ginny had joined in the applause for the pair and nudged Ron when she saw that he didn't. Very unwillingly he finally began to clap as well.

As the pair returned to their places the tables were filled with the food magicked up from the kitchens below by the House Elves.

"I must remember to thank Kreacher and get him to pass my thanks on to the others," Harry mused as they tucked in.

"Kreacher's here?" Hermione raised her eyebrows at the news.

"I didn't want him to be stuck at Number 12 on his own all term while I was here," the boy shrugged. "So he's going to work here in term time, look in on the place every now and again and be home with me over the holidays."

"Oh ok," Hermione responded. She was privately pleased that Harry had thought to make arrangements for the elf as she was wondering what would happen to him while Harry was at school.

"May I have your attention please," the Headmistress called as the plates were cleared. All eyes turned to her as she continued, "I have a number of staffing announcements to make. Due to my… promotion, I am no longer Head of Gryffindor House. That position has been taken by Professor Hagrid, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher."

Harry and Hermione shared a stunned look before joining in the clapping and cheering from their table that greeted this news.

"I am also," Professor McGonagall continued when the noise level subsided, "no longer teaching transfiguration. Professor Crockford will be filling the post." More applause welcomed the announcement. "Finally, our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher is Professor Diggle." Again the students clapped their new teacher. The pair waved their acknowledgement.

With the feast over, the new Head Boy and Girl led the students out of the Great Hall. The prefects followed, guiding their houses, particularly the newcomers, towards their common room and dormitories. Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny had had the opportunity to speak to Hagrid and congratulate him on his new position. He had given them the password to Gryffindor Tower ("Blast-Ended Skrewt") so, when they arrived in front of the Fat Lady's portrait (she greeted the trio like old friends and welcomed them back to the school) they were able to give the password and gain entry.

The boys made their way upstairs to what Harry noted was an unusually crowded dormitory; of course with him and Ron there the numbers were larger than normal, even with the sad loss of Colin Creevey during the battle. Harry also noted a rather surly attitude emanating from his best friend.

"Ok, what's upsetting you?" Harry snapped when he finally tired of Ron's attitude.

"Nothing's wrong; I'm going to bed," he shot back.

Harry shook his head but decided to just leave him to stew. He busied himself instead with unpacking and getting his portion of the room organised, figuring that Ron would talk when he was ready to.

**AN: So that's the end of this chapter. Please let me know what you thought and come back for the next part soon. PD**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Happy New Year everyone and welcome to the latest chapter of this story; I hope you are all well. First of all thank you to everyone who read and reviewed Chapter 4 (Bagel-chain, Agent-M and 'Guest').**

**Here is the next chapter.**

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Ron's mood was no better the following morning; he had awoken, dressed and left the dormitory before Harry even got up. Instead, the dark haired boy went down for breakfast with Hermione; she told him while they walked that Ginny had been quiet as well overnight and that she hadn't spoken directly to her at all during the evening, even though the seventh year girls had all been talking together in their room; many of them had wanted to know all about her year on the run with Harry (and Ron, Ginny kept reminding them tersely).

The two entered the Great Hall and saw the Weasley siblings sat together; they headed over to sit next to them at the table but, though Ginny would respond if Harry or Hermione spoke to her, she didn't initiate any conversation. Ron, meanwhile, pointedly ignored them altogether. The darker-haired newcomers exchanged a glance at his attitude and just shrugged.

As breakfast was ending, Hagrid walked up and down the House table handing them their new timetables for the year; he humorously pointed out to the trio that they _still_ weren't in his Care of Magical Creatures class.

"What do we have this morning," Harry mused rhetorically as he pulled the timetable towards him. "Ok, we start with Defence Against the Dark Arts… then it's Charms, Potions and… Transfiguration."

"Hello Harry," Daedalus Diggle greeted as he made his way down the table to where the quartet were sat.

"Good morning Professor," he replied politely, "I see we have your class first thing today."

"Yes, I'm very much looking forward to having you in my class… all of you," he amended as he glanced at the others and noted their faces falling a little at being sidelined again for the Wizarding world's hero. He nodded at them and bustled out of the Great Hall. Harry ignored his friends' looks and instead helped himself to some more toast.

When they had finished the foursome walked to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom for their first lesson as Seventh Years. Ginny made sure that she slipped into file behind Harry so that when they entered the room she could take the seat next to his on his right. Hermione sat at the desk on Harry's left-hand side and Ron reluctantly took the seat next to hers, casting ugly, envious looks at the "Boy Who Lived".

The lesson began with the Seventh Years covering the theory behind some of the spells in their _Advanced Darks Arts Protection_ text books though, as the end of the lesson neared, Professor Diggle did demonstrate some of the spells they would be learning. Predictably, he called upon Harry to be his 'volunteer', asking the boy to use a couple of attacking hexes and mild curses so that he could show how to repel them (and, just for fun, he made the Jelly-legs curse rebound on Harry so the class could be amused by him wobbling around for a few seconds). Ron laughed particularly loudly at this, earning him admonishing looks from the two girls sat on his right.

Harry sat down with a grin and earned a pat on his arm from Ginny. He noticed Hermione also smiling at him but was concerned by the fact that Ron was sat bolt upright and staring at the front of the class while the attention of the rest of the room seemed focussed on him. _Here we go again_, he thought and sighed, shaking his head.

"Ok," the teacher called out, "that's where we'll pick things up next time – with you all in pairs practicing some of the curses and counter-curses we've just shown you; _particularly the defensive spells – that's what we're focussing on._"

The students began to file out of the room; Ginny stood by the door giving Harry a questioning look as he remained behind.

"I'll catch you up," he said. She nodded and turned, leaving the room.

"Professor," he began cautiously, "I wonder if you would consider using a different volunteer…"

Harry arrived at the back of the line of his classmates waiting to enter the Charms classroom. He spotted his three friends, the two girls smiling and Ron continuing to look rather sour as they talked, and decided to stay where he was in the line for now. Just as he did so, the class were called into the room by Professor Flitwick. The tiny teacher began, much like Professor Diggle had done, by talking through what they would be doing this term. He spoke in an excited voice about some of the things they would be dealing with (Hermione was already eagerly making notes from what he was saying, much to Harry's amusement; he took a seat alone a couple of rows behind the trio, though one of the seventh year Ravenclaws spotted him and detached herself from her group to sit with him). The other girls turned to see where their friend had gone and Luna waved excitedly at Harry, regretting a little that she hadn't had a chance to speak to her friend much since their return to school.

The lesson passed quickly and fairly quietly for Harry, though he did catch Ginny's annoyed look as she glanced around early in the lesson to see where he was, only to find him sat next to the simpering Ravenclaw girl. He met his girlfriend's eyes and she non-verbally communicated that _she_ would be sat with him in their next Charms lesson instead, something she repeated verbally as they left the room and headed back to the Great Hall for lunch.

"Harry, m'boy, have a seat," the balding Head of Slytherin house greeted him as he entered the Potions classroom for their lesson after lunch; he was followed by Hermione and the two Weasley siblings. "Miss Granger, Miss Weasley, lovely to see you both again. Mr Weasley," he added as an afterthought, wrinkling his nose a little as if the reality of speaking to Ron was an unpleasant one for him. The boy frowned as he joined the others around the same table.

"Alright," he called to the class bringing them to order, "this year we will delve into some of the most advanced potions known to wizards. You are familiar, of course, with the draught of living death?" There was a general murmur of agreement from the memory of the potion they'd brewed in their sixth year. "Well we're going to start with an antidote for that. We'll be looking at antidotes this term and then some of the nastier stuff after Christmas. So, books open to page 274."

Harry opened his new, and completely non-annotated, copy of _Advanced Potion-Making_. Hermione gave an approving glance to the book and the two shared a brief smile at the memory of the quarrels that the Half-Blood Prince's book had caused them when Harry had suddenly become an overnight sensation in Potions class.

The group worked well together; Hermione's potion was the best, though Harry's (to his own surprise) was also very good, as was Ginny's. Ron struggled, however, earning himself another look of disdain from their teacher.

"You've remembered a few things from Snape's book then?" Hermione joked as they were clearing away.

"Either that or I'm actually improving now Slughorn's teaching us – and I know how important it is for me to get my NEWT in Potions to become an Auror…" he countered. She smiled.

"That too," she laughed.

Harry walked slowly away from the potions lesson, just behind the other three; he noted Ron's increasingly sombre mood and the happiness of the two girls. The Boy-Who-Lived was already slightly dreading the next lesson as he well remembered from their first meeting some seven years ago just how taken Doris Crockford had been with him; if she was going to act like that today then, on the back of how Professor Diggle had been around them earlier, and Slughorn just now, he could only imagine how Ron in particular would feel.

His fears seemed well founded as he entered the room to an exuberant greeting from the new Transfiguration teacher after the others had walked past her unnoticed.

"I met her in the Leaky Cauldron before I started here," he explained with a shrug when his friends' eyes turned to him as he sat at a table with them. The girls nodded along, Ron stared into space. Harry sighed into his bag, realising he would have to talk to the flame-haired boy tonight.

* * *

**AN: Thanks for reading. Please let me know what you thought and I'll see you soon with the next chapter. PD.**


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